Is the French concept of quality as the same at Japanese concept of quality? If it is not, how would you relate it to the differences between the Japanese and French cultures? If it is, why is quality a culturally universal concept?

Résumé du document

In this rapport, we will see if the French concept of quality is the same than the Japanese one. We will explain why they are or they are not the same.
In the first part, we will define the concept of quality, in the second, we will analyse what is this concept of quality in France. Then, we will analyse the concept of quality in Japan. To finish, we will compare these differences and comment them according to the culture of each country and we will conclude.
I.The concept of quality
Quality is not an exact science but a complex and multiform concept, it evaluation is not easy and the consumer considers different elements according to the products and circumstances.Communication analyzes the factors which train the consumer rather than resort to the indicators to ensure itself of quality of the product or service. These factors can be the service, the brand, the design or name of the store…

Extraits

[...] Paradoxically, the Japanese expresses the beauty by saying that “simplicity makes elegance”. Japanese will privilege the packaging and the design of a product to the detriment of his characteristics. The Japanese is obstinate by certifications and the labels. He grants a great image of quality to a certified or labialized product. For him, the ISO standards are very important for example. It makes confidence with certifications which enable him to know the quality of the product since these components while passing by its manufacture and its transport. [...]

[...] The French do not make opposition to the importation of products (especially in the field of High-tech, electronics and the motor industry). They are opened at the foreign markets. At the food level, the French like to know the source of their product or know the stages that their product lived before being in their caddies. It is proved that a foodstuff posting the most complete traceability will be more sold than another. The capacity for a product to be recycled (and its characteristics ecological) starts to be really important. [...]

[...] For example, the French do not conceive that Mercedes have an equivalent car to competition? When Mercedes launches Class the car is imagined and presented like the other cars of the range: highly reliable, offering a level of comfort higher than the average: a top-of-the-range car. The price is obviously higher than its competitors and the car presents serious problems of reliability. Result: Class A is for the moment a commercial failure. The usual customers of Mercedes are disappointed by the car; the others find it too expensive. [...]

[...] It is this which makes the difference between technically similar products, because the consumer is not always able to assess the technical quality of the product. We observe it particularly in electrical goods industry the hi-fi, video, motor industry . The "packaging" also holds a very important role. It generates a "perceived quality", determining the value of the contents. It influences more the purchasing decision that the contents itself. Studies show that the adhesion of the consumers to the inference diagrams of quality becomes a universal behaviour, in spite of special characteristics for each culture, which we will see with this report. [...]

[...] Payne, M. Christopher, M. Clark, H. Peck) Contemporary Strategic Marketing (R. Brennan, O. Baines, P. Garneau) Consumer Behaviours (Leon G. [...]